Sunday, 26 October 2014

Golden Age Campaign Update

WWII is over. The boys are coming home. But the world still isn't exactly normal; Europe has been completely devastated, and most of it is still occupied, either by American troops (which will eventually leave) or by the Red Army (which, everyone is starting to clearly realize, will not). Old enemies who had become allies of convenience will once again become enemies. And people will be taking advantage of the chaos of post-war Europe to engage in acts of revenge, or of opportunism.

And very suddenly, in the U.S., everyone wants to be normal, and live normal lives. Even super-heroes. While being given the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Flash saves the day by defeating the slow-moving villain known as The Turtle:

And, right after that, he announced his retirement from super-heroics. The world, it seems, was just moving too fast these days even for the Fastest Man Alive.

Meanwhile, the Mystery Men were recruited by Zatarra the magician to fight one of their own: the wizard Sargon, who had put together a team of occultists seeking to immanetize the blooming of the New Aeon by stealing the true copy of the grimoire known as the Clavicula Solomonis from the Black Library of Forbidden Books in the Vatican.
Among his crew were such occult luminaries as the German adept Frater Saturnus, the Italian alchemist Julius Evola, American Techno-magician Jack Parsons, the aging French mystic gentleman-thief known as Fantomas, and Hawkman, chosen Champion of Horus.
To provide backup, they'd hired the ex-german mercenaries of the ruthless and brilliant Otto Skorezny, who managed to go toe-to-toe with the Archangel and Lady Lightning. He would get away, only to later be captured while trying to make his way to Spain (though history suggests that he will later escape facing trial for his crimes and go on to a long career as a soldier-of-fortune).

In the end, the wizards failed in their attempt to steal the mighty book of magic, but the PCs were left wondering just which side was really the one worth fighting for, if indeed there was a side worth fighting for at all. And unbeknownst to all, the vatican was left infiltrated by Vandal Savage, who no doubt has long-term plans for the Black Library.